The highest outdoor observation deck in the western hemisphere, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), has opened at Hudson Yards in New York after nearly two years of construction. Edge takes the form of a triangular platform that extends 80ft (24m) out from the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards at a height of 1,131ft (345m). William Pedersen, founding and design principal at KPF, explained that it has been designed

Thai architects Onion have created a community reading space in Bangkok called Samyan Co-op that offers different types of seating and atmosphere to suit different types of users. The project was commissioned by Golden Land Property Development, who were planning to build a new commercial mall and wanted to give something back to society. Their brief for Onion was to create 500-capacity reading and working space that would be free

Interior design firm Hyphen & Co. has worked with pre-hab fitness brand P.volve to create a new flagship studio in New York's Soho district that accommodates and integrates technology for workouts. The 6,700sq ft (622sq m) studio houses a main exercise space capable of hosting 30 people that is equipped with an ergonomic floor to reduce the pressure on joints when people are training. The studio is also equipped with

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) partner Stephen Barrett has praised the work carried out by his firm on the RIBA Stirling Prize-nominated Macallan Distillery, saying it is "technically very impressive". Although the project did not win the top honour at last night's awards ceremony, it was awarded the 2019 RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award earlier in the week – and not without good reason, according to

Sports stadium and events venue experts Populous have unveiled designs for the largest video gaming and esports complex in the Southern Hemisphere. Covering 2,700sq m (29,100sq ft), spread across two floors and with a capacity for over 1,000 people, Fortress Melbourne will house a purpose-built arena with a retractable 200-seat grandstand, a professional boot camp room and training facilities, dedicated areas for LAN, RPG and tabletop gaming, two bars and

Zaha Hadid Architects’ (ZHA) hotly-anticipated flagship hotel for the City of Dreams resort in Macau will open tomorrow (15 June). Conceived as an “urban window connecting the hotel’s interior communal spaces with the city”, Morpheus is notable for the series of sculptural voids carved through its centre – inspired by the fluid forms within China’s rich traditions of jade carving. Linked at ground level with the surrounding three-storey podium of

The first renderings have been released showing what the Madison Square Garden Company’s (MSG) striking spherical entertainment venue will look like in London. Designed by Populous, the MSG Sphere London has been conceived as the conglomerate’s first international arena, and an “iconic venue that will feature game-changing technologies and pioneer the next generation of transformative, immersive experiences.” It will host concerts, live shows, expos, esports and other large-scale events. MSG

A former prison in the city of Offenburg has been transformed into a hotel called Liberty following an extensive renovation. Set just outside the city walls of the old town, close to the Black Forest and the French border, Hotel Liberty features 38 rooms and suites spread across two 19th century buildings, which have been connected by a new contemporary glass volume. The prison was designed by German architect Heinrich

Researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have discovered a way of producing graphene using soybean oil. The team of scientists have developed a technique, known as GraphAir, that heats soybean oil in a tube furnace until the oil decomposes into carbon ‘building blocks.’ The carbon is then rapidly cooled on nickel foil, where it diffuses into a one nanometre thick rectangular film of graphene. The team

A photographer to the stars has launched a Kickstarter campaign to open a design-led hotel chain he believes can change the world. Jeremy Cowart – who has photographed celebrities including Taylor Swift, the Kardashians, Britney Spears and Sting – wants to raise US$347,000 to begin the design process for his first ‘Purpose Hotel’ in Nashville, Tennessee. Cowart’s idea is to create a global hotel chain whose profits sponsor children in

A giant aluminium sphere has been unmasked on the streets of Taipei following the removal of the scaffolding at OMA’s Performing Arts Center for the city. The exteriors of two of the centre’s theatres – the Proscenium Playhouse and Multiform Theatre – can now be seen clearly for the first time. Both venues will seat 800 spectators. An elevated transparent central cube will house the 1,500-capacity Grand Theatre, as well

The ‘Creating Atmospheres’ pavilion at the upcoming pool, spa and sauna trade fair Interbad, set to take place 27 - 30 September in Stuttgart, Germany, aims to show how to create the ‘right’ environment for all the senses. The pavilion will include architecture, green areas, lighting and acoustics, and is developed in co-operation with the Association of German Interior Designers (BDIA), the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects and the interior design

British scientists have discovered how graphene – the nanometre-thin material with remarkable electrical conductivity and mechanical strength – could be applied in buildings as ‘smart wallpaper’ to generate electricity from waste light or heat. Inspired by the light-sensitive eyes of moths, scientists at the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute have used biomimicry to create ultra-thin graphene sheets that can effectively capture light for the first time. The team found

A new media library on Réunion Island brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘eye-opening’, with enormous socket-shaped openings staring out from the structure’s facade towards the Indian Ocean. French architects Peripheriques are the team behind the unorthodox structure, located in the island’s French commune St Paul. Irregularly placed gaps across the exterior are intended to resemble eyes seeking knowledge and information from the collection of films and literature

Scottish destination property Portavadie is opening a 1,991sq m (21,431sq ft) spa and leisure centre in the coming months that takes full advantage of its views over Loch Fyne on Scotland’s west coast. Designed by Largs, Ayrshire-based Stewart Associates, the spa uses glass, local stone, white oak and walnut to create a natural setting that is “sympathetic to the view at all times,” and creates a feeling of “understated luxury,”

Two separate construction projects, one in Australia and another in South Africa, have made claims to become the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. The projects, which are proposals at present, have received provisional backing from their respective government authorities. The city of Melbourne in the State of Victoria, Australia hopes to build a 388m (1,272 ft) tower rising 108 stories, while the South African project - to be constructed

Image: TPG at 16-18 Ramillies Street in Soho, London The Photographers' Gallery (TPG) is to unveil its new home on Ramillies Street in central London tomorrow (19 May), following the completion of a major £8.9m redevelopment project. Ireland-based architects O'Donnell + Tuomey have designed the building, which will feature three floors of gallery space and has increased the available exhibition space by 100 per cent. TPG showcases work by established